Jackson Ward

Jackson Ward is an African-American district of Richmond, Virginia. After the end of the American Civil War, freed blacks created a thriving business community which became known as the "Black Wall Street of America". The Jackson Ward became a center of black commerce and entertainment, and it was nicknamed the "Harlem of the South". It became central to the Civil Rights movement in Richmond, which culminated in the "Massive Resistance" crisis of 1955-1965. The construction of the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike through the Jackson Ward destroyed 1,000 homes and led to the neighborhood's decline, and absentee landlords took over from single-family households. During the end of the 20th century, the city revitalized the Jackson Ward and named the Jackson Ward a historic district in 1978. Since the start of the 21st century, the Jackson Ward went from being a high-crime neighborhood to being a gentrified, mostly white neighborhood.